Athens

Percy studied Zoë as she approached him. She had a pensive look on her face. It was not a look he was soon to associate with his headstrong and confident natural daughter. Her hair was still in the long single braid she had worn for years. Her eyes were just as sea green as his, with a brightness of spirit he had long since lost. She was tall for fourteen. In better physical shape than Annabeth had been at that age, which was saying a considerable amount. Zoë possessed a balance of grace and power in her build that Percy knew teenage him would have found extremely attractive, he fucking hated it.

"What is it, little one?" He smiled as he looked at her nearly five and a half feet in height. "I don't suppose I can call you that much longer." His daughter smiled at him and in a moment he saw a five year old girl who had a mother for the first time and was running to a shrine to Poseidon to thank him. Damn, he thought, how long ago was that? Nearly ten years now.

"I don't know how to talk about things."

"What kind of things?"

"The war that is coming. The potential that I lose you or matér or one of my sisters. That Greece may end. A boy." She added the final piece in a hushed breath. Percy could not tell if she intended for him to hear it at all, so he did not address it.

"What do you want to say about the war?"

"That I want to fight. You and matér fought for the gods at twelve for the first time. How the fuck am I to be a princess of Greece and a daughter of Amazons if at fourteen I cannot fight?"

"Don't fucking swear. Daughter, I have told you before, I will not have my child fight my wars. But, you are getting older, as much as I hate to admit."

"I would rather me die than lose anyone else. Matér, you, my sisters. I don't want to lose you and I'll die to keep it from happening. And if I lose you, Greece is next, my homeland is next."

"And the boy?" she shook her head stubbornly.

"You first."

"Zoë, I cannot promise anyone survives a battle. I did once and I failed that promise." He looked at her with a sad look in his eyes. "Greece can never end as long as you have the gods in your heart, Zoë. Our gods, not Rome's version of them. Your grandparents, Poseidon and Athena, not Neptune and Minerva. Keep them in your heart and you'll never lose Greece."

"Sire! Visitors, two at the gate and a strange ship sailing into harbor, but it has a crude trident painted on the sail." Percy turned to Demosthenes.

"Ask Annabeth to meet the ship, I have a feeling it is our people in Rome. I'll see to the gate." He turned back to his daughter. "Go with your mother, but don't think you're free from discussing that boy." Zoë smirked in a way only he could have taught her.

Epirus

"She fucking cut me and ran away pregnant with my heir, who do you think I side with?" Jason felt the rage of Mars emanating from legate.

"I'm thinking Rome's. That was always your loyalty."

"I am the son of Mars, my life is Rome's." Frank caught the flash of gold in his eyes. And you are betraying her.

"Then let us bring her glory, legate."

"Of course, imperator."

Piraeus

"Oh my gods, Piper! What did they do to you?" Annabeth's arms found their way around the daughter of Aphrodite and tears were in her eyes. The woman with kaleidoscopic eyes allowed a tear to escape from her eyes. It was her first in nearly twelve years. After a year in captivity she had quit allowing herself to react, now in the arms of her dear, dear friend.

The shudders passing through her nearly dropped them both to the ground. Annabeth kept her in her arms though. Despite everything the group had done for her getting her out of Rome, only now did she feel truly safe. She had Annabeth looking after her again.

"Who?" asked Annabeth as she held Piper tight against herself. Nico looked up from the litter Greek soldiers were carrying him from the ship on.

"Iapetus, Luke, and Zoë's father."

"Percy?! Are you… oh." A flutter passed through Zoë's Nightshade's heart. She fought back a tear of her own. Even she sees it and accepts it. Percy, the annoying camper who risked himself to join the quest to find milady, he is more of a father to me than the titan ever was.

"He is not my father anymore," she whispered. Phoebe gripped her hand firmly in support. "We will stop him." Her voice was stronger now.

"Yes, we will." The younger Zoë put her arms around her sister.

Northern Gate of Athens

Percy looked down from the battlements. The northern gate was the most traversed and as such the most defended of the city. Two figures stood under him, many more stood off in the distance hidden within a tree line. He could see or hear them, but he felt their horses.

"Who is approaches? And why do you hide your people in the trees?"

"Because many of them still remember what the Greeks did to us years ago," came the answer in a voice Percy had not heard for many years.

"I am not those Greeks, Queen Hylla."

"You are much more than they ever were, King Perseus. We also escorted a friend," Hazel Zhang removed the hood of her traveling cloak. "We come to seeking a new home. Our civil war has destroyed our old one."

Percy rapidly descended the wall and soon stood before the two women and embraced them tightly. "You are welcome here."

"I am here because Jason has discovered those working with you, Percy. Michael and Gwen vanished, Reyna has gone silent. Frank is attempting to blend in and find them. He cut himself and claimed I attacked him to run away." Percy wrapped his arms around the woman who was a little sister to him. "He did it to protect his child." She whispered in his lowered ear. Percy masked the revelation and beckoned them forward.

"Bring your people inside, Hylla. It is time to prepare for war." It took them nearly half an hour to escort the eighty Amazons through the city to the palace. Hylla nearly cried when she saw the young daughter of Percy and the late queen. Zoë was scurrying about, attempting to take care of every one of her sisters' needs and assist her mother with the daughter of Aphrodite, the girl had enlisted Brasidas to assist with the Amazons. Zoë had a scowl as the Amazons spoke flirtatiously with him. Hylla stood next to Percy watching the scene.

"The last we saw each other, you had nothing but a crown. I look at you now and at the family you now have, and you might be the richest man in Greece." Percy's countenance darkened.

"None of it means a godsdamn thing if I am beaten by the Romans." She thought back to the moment when Percy had seen Piper McLean. Tears had flown freely down the face of the woman, while Percy held her in a manner that she recognized. It was an embrace that could only be learned. It was one of comfort and a silent promise to protect at all costs. It is the same embrace he gave to the two Hunters of Artemis upon his seeing them. He truly is a father to them. And with how he talks about Greece, he's a father to them all.

The servants had been sent away and replaced by Demosthenes when Percy addressed the group. "Three paths into Greece if they want to march their full army. The coastal road past Naupaktus, the mountain passes near Heraclea, and the Hot Gates. In three days we will have twenty thousand soldiers, in twenty, fifty thousand. If the legion marches in the way they can, we don't have twenty." He turned to his old friend. "Demosthenes, take Brasidas and ride for Naupaktus. Burn it to the ground and evacuate the people. Burn everything from there to the coastal road. Leave the Roman's nothing to eat, drink, or loot." He turned back to the group as Demosthenes saluted and beckoned the boy from Zoë's side. "That still leaves three passes and just twenty thousand soldiers."

Annabeth spoke. "The history of the Hot Gates will keep them away from there. No general voluntarily enters that pass after what the Spartans did to Xerxes." His eyes turned to her slowly.

"That pass is twice as wide as it was then."

"And you have nearly a hundred times the soldiers," Percy turned to Zoë Nightshade and Phoebe. The two had spoken in sync. "Heraclea has the largest passage. Though it is a longer march from Epirus. Let us scout for you. It is what we do best."

"And you have my riders," said Hylla simply.

"What about those that Jason took?" Percy slowly turned to Hazel. She saw the answer in his eyes but did not like it. She started shaking her head. "No, Percy, no this isn't you."

"Percy doesn't have a choice in the matter." Nico di Angelo spoke from his seat. "Percy's opinion is vastly subordinate to that of King Perseus. He wants to help, you can see the pain his eyes, but he has not a way to do it and protect Greece." Nico struggled to his feet. He winced as weight was put on his injured leg. "I will go look for them. I can disappear if I need to."

"Nico, you're injured." Nico was not sure who had actually said the version of the statement he heard, because nearly everyone in the room had said it.

"You all have a role to play in the defense. My role is to find them."

"Then get to it," King Perseus said calmly. He turned and walked for his chambers. Annabeth knew he felt horrible for not looking to Reyna and the others, but Nico had put it best. Percy was unfortunately subordinate to King Perseus. Hazel made her way to Thalia.

"I have to tell you something." Thalia turned to her shorter cousin. "I saw your reaction when we mentioned Reyna. You have to know, her blessing of Artemis did not keep. Percy mentioned you were aging some, but Reyna is in her thirties. I don't know what was between you after she joined the hunt. But I thought you should know this." Thalia thanked her and kept her face straight. Later that night she was crying softly in the lap of Zoë Nightshade, who did not understand what was bothering her, but comforted her anyway. Simultaneously, Hazel did not know what had caused Thalia so much pain, but she was sorry for it none the less.

Epirus

"How many routes into Greece, Legate Zhang?"

"Three, if we want to whole army into Greek."

"Heraclea and the coastal road through Naupaktos. Where else?"

"The Hot Gates, Imperator. I think we know what happens to empires who march into them."

"Empire? What do you mean, Zhang?"

"Nothing more than that a god king entered the Hot Gates and left bloodied. Imperator, I do not doubt you, but I doubt the ability of the soldiers to pass through the Hot Gates with reinforced phalanxes guarding it." The tall Asian man looked down upon the blond haired man named Imperator by his legions. Silently he prayed to the gods that they would allow his deception to continue. He had seen three hooded prisoners be escorted out of the camp. As much as he wanted information on Jason's plan his true objective was to rescue Reyna, Michael, and Gwen. If the story of how Piper had been treated was any example of how prisoners would be treated by the titan and his allies, Frank would do whatever necessary to prevent that from happening to anyone else.

"Is that fear, Zhang? Do you think our legions incapable of forcing the Hot Gates?" A flash of gold across Jason's eyes. It's working.

"I simply say the Hot Gates have been only ever been forced with extreme loss of life, Imperator." Jason's face, though he knew it to be the eidolon developed a prideful look on his face.

"The Hot Gates will fall, Legate Zhang."

"Of course, Imperator." Frank saluted and exited Jason's tent. He hated that attempting to convince the eidolon within Jason that the Hot Gates could no be assaulted was going to cost so many Roman lives. He knew the eidolon's pride was its weakest point. Therefore, telling it that Thermopylae was the impossible choice would result in the decision being made. If Frank was honest with himself, he did not believe Jason could be redeemed. The eidolon had maintained control for so long Frank's only choice was to save all he could. That included the three prisoners and he had a rough idea of which direction they had gone.

Fortunately the path to his own tent followed the same route as he had seen the prisoners being taken. He reached his tent and told his adjutant that he was tired and he should not be disturbed. Fifteen minutes after that declaration Frank was in the form of a raven flying over the hills east of the army's camp. He was searching for anything that would lead to the location of the prisoners. Seven miles west of the camp he saw a fire and descended.

"Atlas is enjoying himself with the traitors. He hopes to break them so that the Greeks have to fight their friends." Frank was perched above a blond haired boy with blue eyes and a scar on his face and a sniveling man he recognized, Octavian.

"Is he forcing them?"

"Not this time. The Aphrodite girl getting away has made him angry. He plans on using violence alone. That's why he took them so far away. Less likely to hear their screams. He enjoys finding unique ways to use that javelin of his." Motherfuckers, thought Frank. He took to wing again and circled high above the tree covered hills. A single shriek cut through the night's still air. I hope to gods this is you. He angled his flight and soon he discerned a dark patch in a rock wall that revealed itself to be a cave entrance. Please be them.